#just assume everyone reading this goes 'ah foreign name *nodding sagely*'

[zvaigzdelasas]

The US has asked China to urge Tehran to rein in Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, but has seen little sign of help from Beijing, according to American officials.

But US officials said there was little evidence China had put any pressure on Iran to restrain the Houthis, beyond a mild statement Beijing issued last week calling on “relevant parties” to ensure safe passage for vessels sailing through the Red Sea, a critical shipping route for global trade.

On Wednesday, the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing was calling for a stop to “disturbance to civilian ships” and had “been in close communication with various parties and worked actively to alleviate the tension in the Red Sea”.

However, in veiled [?] criticism of the US and UK attacks on the Houthis, the ministry urged the “relevant parties to avoid adding fuel to the fire”, adding that the UN Security Council had “never authorised the use of force by any country on Yemen”.

The Red Sea tension was also a “spillover” from the Gaza conflict, which should be ended as soon as possible, the ministry said.[...]

US officials had hoped Beijing would take action because it viewed the Houthi attacks as a menace to its own commercial interests, given that the Red Sea was a critical route for Chinese exports to Europe.[...]

The Chinese embassy in the US said [...] China was concerned about the “escalating tension” in the Red Sea. The embassy said it served the common interests of the international community and that China urged “relevant parties to play a constructive and responsible role in keeping the Red Sea safe and stable”.

23 Jan 24

Several Chinese shipping lines have been redeploying their vessels to serve the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, in what analysts have said is an effort to exploit China’s perceived immunity from the Houthi attacks that have driven most other operators out of the area.

These smaller Chinese lines have been serving ports such as Doraleh in Djibouti, Hodeidah [sic] in [Ansar-Controlled] Yemen and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, all of which have faced big falls in traffic as international container shipping lines have rerouted to avoid potential attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Among the shipping lines redeploying its fleet is Qingdao-based Transfar Shipping, which on its website describes itself as “an emerging player in the transpacific market”[...]

Leaders of the group have said that they will not attack vessels associated with China or Russia[...] as long as they have no Israeli links. The US has asked China to urge Iran to rein in the Houthis, without apparent success.

24 Jan 24